1st Ever Hunger Games
by langleaf
Summary: What if Zach and Cammie were in the Hunger Games? Instead of 24 tributes, there were 2 from each major country. AU. No characters from HG present in this except Cato and Clove. *ugh Clove* Its mostly CammiexCato but ZachxCammie comes along much later. Be patient
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so I know I haven't updated my other two stories since 2011…sorry…those are both on hiatus.. ):  
School makes it hard to update so I'm very sorry if this doesn't get updated quickly.  
I've had an idea for a hunger games-Gallagher girls crossover for some time now. No, the characters from the Hunger Games Trilogy will not be in this, but basically it's Cammie finding herself in the games (Post Out of Sight, Out of Time, but not quite) and who else gets picked? Zach or course. Its 24 from around the world, 2 from each country. I'd like to call it epic, but only your reviews will guarantee a EPIC Storyline. I'll do a lot of Zammie. Oh. I lied. XD The only characters from the original Hunger Games you'll see in this is Cato and Effie. BWAHAHAHA. Not gonna say why though. And Liz will be placed into the games as the "Rue." (Sorry, character deaths aren't a problem) Enjoy!**

I was lying in a hammock out near the lake. Someone was gently stroking my short brown hair, humming softly. Lifting my gaze, I found Zach's warm blue(?) eyes gazing at me with amusement and something else.. "Sleep long enough Gallagher girl?"  
"Plenty."  
I sat up. The previous night's events washed over me.  
FLASHBACK:  
_A few men in sleek dark suits and an oddly dressed woman were gathering at the podium where mom generally made her speeches. I perked my head around to listen. "Hello Gallagher Academy, my name is Elias Evergreene. I am not a spy, nor do I work for the government. However your government has made an...Agreement of sorts. An agreement to host a worldwide event of a lifetime, and it is called the Hunger Games. No," He chuckled, "It isn't a food eating contest."  
A few girls, Mick and Tina among them cracked up.  
He continued. "Alas, the Hunger Games are a worldwide televised fight to the death."  
Everyone in the room froze. I felt Zach's grip on my waist tighten, and Liz was biting her lip, probably running calculations through her head. "We are here to select 1 girl and 1 boy to represent the USA in the event. The ones with the best possible chances of survival are from the Gallagher Academy. As for the boys, we will be selecting one from the little known and trusted Blackthorne Institute for Boys."  
Zach tensed up even more than I thought possible and growled slightly. "Calm down Zach." I whispered softly. "It won't be me. No worries."  
"Yeah really Zach." Bex grinned, turning to Liz. "Lizzie, got the percentage rate?"  
"…1 out of 8…"  
We all froze. Zach muttered, "Those aren't good odds…"  
The suited man continued after the noise died down. "Furthermore, we had already selected the male from Blackthorne, and he wasn't there. He, ah, apparently attends this academy. Where is a Mr. Zachary Goode?"  
I froze. "No. Zach it can't be you, you can't-"  
He stood up silently and strode up to the podium. The oddly dressed woman grinned happily. "Well hello there Zachary! Aren't you just a charmer?" She giggled.  
"I go by Zach."  
She paused. "Oh, well, that's my mistake then Zach." She held up his hand. "Your male tribute ladies!"  
No one applauded. "I, oh, um…"  
The man in the suit held out a bowl. The woman smiled. "Ladies now!"  
All the sisters of Gillian stared in silence at the bubbly woman, at her slender pale fingers selecting a slip of white paper before she held it up to read, "Elizabeth Sutton."  
Liz looked positively terrified. My heart began to sink, Liz was talented alright, but not in the whole fight-to-the-death kind of way. I couldn't let this happen to Liz. "Stop!" I shouted, "Wait please!"  
Liz stared at me in surprise, as did everyone else in the room. Without looking, I could tell Zach was looking at me like I was crazy. I must be crazy, interrupting such serious buisness. "Stop." I repeated it softer. The oddly dressed woman looked at me with a smile, a small, sad smile. "Yes what is it darling?"  
"…Can I…take her place?"  
The entire hall seemed to be watching me. The woman stared. "Well…uh…this is quite the unexpected change in events! However I do recall volunteers were allowed!" She grinned at me knowingly. I felt a sudden burst of warmth for this strange woman. She laughed a little before striding over to me and swiftly guiding me to the podium. "Yes, here are your two tributes from USA!"  
*Flashback Ends*  
_Yes. I was to fight Zach to the death, while millions of people watched. Before I realized it, tears were sliding down my face, and Zach rubbed my back comfortingly. "Cammie, it's ok. It's ok-"  
"No! It's not okay at all! I have to _kill_ you! I can't…I won't…"  
He cupped my face and whispered, "No Cammie, you won't be the one to kill me. There's others as well remember?"  
He was right. We had a good chance as anyone out there. I could die before Zach…I really could. "Zach I-"  
Zach shushed me before leaning in the capture my lips. I melted into his kiss, so full of love and passion. It was as if it was our last. He pulled away gently. "Cammie, before we get into this, you have to know-"  
"There they are! Our two tributes!"  
Zach swore and leaned back with his usual smirk. I found myself staring into the sand. Who knew sand could be so intriguing. The oddly dressed woman skipped forward and sat down on the sand. "Well, I should really introduce myself! I'm Effie Trinket! I will be representing you both in the games, and in charge of finding you sponsors."  
"Sponsors?" Zach questioned.  
Effie grinned. "Yes, sponsors. Those would be people feeling pitiful for you and send you medicine, food, shelter, ECT."  
Zach smirked. "I guess they'd have to, can't resist me if they tried."  
I rolled my eyes and Effie giggled. "Perfect! During interviews, go for the whole slightly arrogant but handsome approach. They'll simply adore you."  
"At least someone will." I stated simply.  
Effie glanced over at me. "Oh Cameron, I'm sure there's an angle for you as well. Maybe the sexy and kick-ass kind would fit…"  
She mumbled the last part, as Zach turned slightly red.  
I sighed. "I just hope it all ends soon."

**I know it was short but it's kind of a running idea right now. If I could get at least 4 reviews, I'll continue it. If not…maybe. It depends on how much time I have, if it's worth it, and if you readers even like it. So please R&R!  
**_I DO NOT OWN HUNGER GAMES OR THE GALLAGHER GIRLS SERIES. :D  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I'm so happy you all liked it so much! WOOHOO! Just made my day hahaha  
(Reminder: I'm sorry but Josh will not be a tribute. He will show up though, as will the Circle of Cavan.I've also made a last minute decision to put Clove in here. XD)  
Enjoy chapter two! It's in Zach's point of view The opening kinda sucks, sorry…XP Actually I think the chapter sucks in general, but I promise it'll get a lot better after they actually start training, and Cato enters the picture and I've tweaked his personality a bit. Fun stuff. Hahaha.  
I DON'T OWN GALLAGHER GIRLS SERIES OR HUNGER GAMES. If I did…Cato totally would've lived. :3**

"Come on Zach, Cammie!"  
Effie squealed with glee, "We're off to the Capitol!"  
Cammie looked a bit confused. "Effie…what's the capitol? Or better yet, where is it?"  
Effie stared blankly. "You…um…oh dear, how to explain this…"  
"Well clarify best you can."  
I glared daggers at the woman. Sure, I'm Zach, calm…cool…collected. Except around Cammie, I always tend to feel protective of her and irritated out of my mind when she talks to anyone. Not just boys. Anyone. Effie sighed. "Well, I can't tell you Zach. It's a secret actually, even I'm not sure where it is…"  
She trailed off. We-Cammie and I-gaped at her. "You don't even know where you're taking us to our deaths?"  
Cammie was outraged. Effie laughed-yes laughed-at her expression. "Oh heavens no Cammie, the Capitol is merely where you'll be introduced to the world, trained, tested, and advertised. The actual fight will be someplace else, which is also unknown."  
Advertised? Trained? I inwardly laughed. I'm an assassin/spy, what training could I possibly need? However, any form of defense is good to know, I have to protect Cammie. She _has_ to live.

A few hours later we boarded a strange flying vehicle. Some men in white suits with helmets called "Peacekeepers" claimed the flying vehicle was called a Helicopter. This helicopter was strange indeed, I've never seen one ever before…My thoughts trailed around Cammie, keeping her safe, socking Jimmy if I ever get a chance, and staying alive to save Cammie… "Zach!"  
I jerked my head around. "What Gallagher girl?"  
Cammie sighed in irritation. "I've been calling you like ten times, someone's a bit distracted…Anyways, wherever it is we're going, we're almost there."  
I peered out the window to see us preparing to land somewhere in the high mountains. There was snow piled up in heaps everywhere, no one had bothered to sweep it up. Maybe that had a purpose to it, that maybe… "Zach, I think we're going inside the mountain."  
"Yeah. I think you're right."  
We stared as the top opened its mouth; I gripped Cammie's hands comfortingly as Effie giggled in excitement. "Oh tributes, this is it!"

After we landed, and Effie had stopped going wild with excitement, I realized we weren't alone. I saw a few other pairs of people. A tall, broad shouldered, blonde haired male with dashing good looks. I knew this isn't any time to be getting overprotective of Cammie, but how couldn't I? A short, brown haired girl who couldn't be much older than twelve stood beside him with a dark look on her face. Looks can be deceiving, for all we know, she could kill us with her hands tied behind her back. Effie led us over to the pair. "Well! Zach and Cammie, meet Cato and Clove, the two tributes from Canada!"  
Cammie extended an arm to shake Clove's hand but she merely glared at it. I grinned. "Don't worry. Cammie doesn't bite."  
Cato seemed to be holding back a laugh. Clove paused, and then burst out laughing. "Oh!" She laughed, "You thought I was scared? HAHAHA Yeah right, I'd kill you both before you even knew it."  
Cammie smirked. I could tell she was slightly impressed by this girl, even if she seemed a little…off. Cato smiled seductively at Cammie. "Hey, I'm Cato. I won't be killing you anytime soon."  
He winked. I glanced at Cammie to see her blushing slightly. Dammit, I knew I couldn't trust this guy. "I'm Zach."  
I stated abruptly and Cato glared at me. I smirked. Effie seemed to notice the tension. "Well, you four had better get along, the Capitol ran short of rooms and had to put 4 per room. For instance, Japan and China tributes are sharing, Korea and Russia, you get the idea. Now USA and Canada tributes must share! No murders in their beds Miss Clove! Save the battles for the arena."  
Clove grinned evilly. "All the more time to sharpen my knives for practice. C'mon Cato!"  
She started running down the hall but Cato didn't move a muscle. Neither did I.

**Cammie POV**

That Clove was a strange girl. To be frank, she scared me. I got the feeling she was mentally off, and that mental bit was rather twisted. I shivered a little only to realize Cato was still here, looking at me, at my eyes. I lifted my gaze away from the hall Clove had disappeared into to meet Cato's eyes. Such warm, brown eyes. Like…Josh. But this wasn't Josh. This was a man, a teenager I'd have to fight and kill. And yet, in some twisted way, I didn't want to kill him. I could see Zach inching towards me out of the corner of my eye. "Effie?"  
She smiled. "Yes Cammie?"  
"Where do we go?"  
"To the training room! Let's go!"

We were standing in a great hall, nothing like the Gallagher great hall, but a very large and spacious hall filled with different training areas. Pairs of teens from around the world were gathered here, standing circular around a petite young woman with a microphone. She introduced herself as our trainer and the general rules. One was absolute. Save all fighting for the arena. We would have different stations to practice varying skills and techniques to survive. There would be no guns in the arena; all of it is weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. I found myself smiling slightly. Hand-to-hand combat? Those years of P&E would certainly be paying off now that I would be fighting for my life. My mind started drifting around the room, towards people. A muscular dark haired teen, a young girl holding a stuffed bunny and looking at the trainer with wide, bright, and scared eyes, even a pair of twin siblings who seemed to be from China. My gaze traveled around the room, surveying the competition, coming to rest on a boy whose gaze was trained on mine. It was Cato. He smiled at me and gestured towards a camouflage center. 'Meet me there' he mouthed. 'Without the other guy.'  
Without Zach? I wondered what Cato could possibly want. Perhaps he was just trying to get to know me a little. But why? We'd only end up having to kill each other… The woman finally finished her speech. She waved us away in a clear dismissal and disappeared down a lone corridor that slammed shut after she left. "So," Zach began "Where would you like to start?"  
"Well…"  
How could I get Zach to leave me be for at least a few minutes…There was no way that would happen…This _is_ Zach after all. Maybe that's why I care about him so much. There was no way I could kill him… "Cammie?  
"Oh…Sorry Zach. Just a bit tired I guess…"  
He smirked. "Well, maybe we should go get some sleep. A quick powernap can't hurt anyone."  
I smiled. Perfect. "Okay. You go on ahead I'll head over after I survey the competition."  
Zach grinned. "Okay. See you at the room Gallagher Girl."

Zach disappeared down a hallway and once I saw him headed upwards in the elevator, I turned and walked quickly towards the camouflage station. I could see Cato squatting in the grass and swirling mud on his hands. He looked up and a small smile grew on his face. I squatted down beside him. "Hey," He began. "Cammie right?"  
"Yeah."  
And I'm a kick-ass-spy-in-training, but obviously I couldn't tell him that. Unless he already knew, which was possible.  
"So," I questioned, "What did you need?"  
He ignored my question and continued swirling mud around his hands. "Isn't this interesting Cammie? I thought you'd like this station, being the Chameleon and all."  
I froze. He knew! He knows about me, my school-ehhh maybe-, and my skills as a pavement artist. "I, uhh, how did you know that? Better yet, how do you know it and how much do you know?"  
Cato smirked. "Enough."  
I shrugged in defeat. I peered at Cato's hand which now didn't even look like a hand, it looked much more like the rock he was pressing it against. "Wow, how did you do that?"  
He shrugged. "Done this sort of thing before. I guess you aren't the only pavement artist."  
"No. I guess I'm not. Could you, I don't know, show me basics of this?"  
He grinned. "How about this, we become allies in the arena. I'll show you how to stay hidden in the wilderness, you and I, we'll make it."  
"That wouldn't work Cato. We'd only end up having to eventually kill each other. And Zach would have to be a part of the alliance."  
He stood up and wiped his hands on a tree. "Who said anything about killing each other? We'll keep each other safe until the time comes where we will split. And then, I'll leave the alliance, and let someone else take me out. I know from the beginning, I wouldn't stand much a chance. Those two twins from China?" He points at their agility and flexibility. "Those two would kill me in an instant. I may be good with a sword and pretty strong, fast, but there are people here who are ten times better than I am. All I knew I'd be proficient at would be hiding, being invisible in the trees. And then I hear about the USA's female tribute. Cameron Ann Morgan. The legendary pavement artist. And I knew I'd have to form an alliance with you."  
He knew about me. He knew about being invisible. He knew what it was like to just, vanish into thin air and never be found. Cato was the first person I've ever met who could relate to this. And because of that, I accepted his offer of alliance. "Cammie?"  
I turned as I was walking out the door. "Yes Cato?"  
He smiled sadly. "You know Zach can't be in our group. He can hide, but not like we can."  
I swallowed. "I know."  
And I walked away from my new ally, and back towards my sort-of boyfriend, who would soon be betrayed. By me.

**I know, it's a bit confusing right now, but It'll make more sense in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter… R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Updating a lot sooner than I thought I would, a reviewer named: Sophie gave me such a great idea, thank you Sophie!  
YEEEE I'm excited now. (And a bunch of my earlier opening statements have been revoked. I'm not saying anything else now.)  
I don't own hunger games or Gallagher girls series:  
ENJOY  
**

Cammie pov

I awoke to see the sunlight streaming throught the window overhead, and rolled over to find Zach leaning against the wall watching me. "Wow creeper much?"  
He laughed. "Sure Gallagher Girl. Sure."  
I huffed and got up. I had told Cato I'd practice with him at the traps and snares zone, and to discuss finding other useful allies. And to discuss…Zach. "Hey Zach?"  
He looked at me curiously. "Yeah?"  
"I want to train separately for awhile. Just until I know what to do for the singular testing…"  
He looked insulted. "And I can't train with you? Why not?"  
Oh jeez. "Well…I want to try to come up with new strategies, and you know that sooner or later one of us won't be coming back."  
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he swallowed. "Fine. I'll be at the agility course."  
He stalked off and slammed the door shut. What an idiot. But somehow…I like this guy. I sighed and changed into a Navy jacket and navy workout pants. USA Tribute was printed neatly on the chest and butt. How lame. Picking up a small bag and tossing it over my shoulder, I headed out to the hall.

"Cato!"  
He looked up and smiled as I jogged over to his side. "Hey Cammie."  
"So." I pondered a bit. "Something has been on my mind all night."  
Cato looked interested. "Spill."  
"Well…it's about Zach. About how I won't be able to see him killed, or even thinking about it."  
He paused with a look of irritation on his face. "Well, maybe we should ask for him to be replaced in the games. I mean, the public hasn't seen us yet so there might be a chance."  
Oh. My. Gosh. Cato was a genius. "Cato! You! Are! Amazing!"  
I hugged him tightly and then threw my arms up with glee. Cato looked rather pleased with himself. "So! Who do I talk to about this?"  
He gulped. "The head of the Capitol. President Winters."  
"Winters? Does he have a son?"  
Cato's brow furrowed in thought. "Yeah I think so. Preston or Presley or something. Didn't he run for US president awhile back?"  
Oh. My. Gosh. Again. "Then I'll be able to convince him! No problem!"  
He grinned sheepishly. "Well, good luck Cammie. And your chance is here, look over there."  
Cato was pointing a finger at the doorway where a man I had seen only 2 years before was standing and surveying the room. Samuel P. Winters.

I started walking towards Mr. Winters. I'll say it, I was nervous. The man I had thought to be completely innocent to all of the spy-academy-for-girls stuff totally knew about us. And pretended not to, which was the scariest thing of all. He seemed to realize I was headed his way and he turned, the expression on his face was drawn in shock. "Cameron? Aren't you Macey's friend? Why would you be here?"  
"Don't play those games with me Mr. Winters. I know you know who I am and what I do." My voice was cold and demeaning.  
His smile dropped off his face and he shuffled left and right. "Well, Miss Morgan I suppose you are right about that…But I have so much more power here than I did running for US presidency…let's just say life in the Capitol is…rather enjoyable."  
My gaze hardened. Then since we know each other and you know all that I did to protect your son on that rooftop in Boston, do me a _major_ favor Mr. Winters."  
His brows furrowed in thought. "Well, yes you are correct about that.."  
"Take Zach Goode out of the Hunger Games."  
He looked surprised. "Out of the games…? Then who'd be our male tribute?"  
I swallowed. "Josh Abrahams."  
"Josh? Wasn't that your first little boyfriend Miss Morgan? Why would you bring someone so useless to you into the games? Why would you trade Zachary's life for his? Explain that."  
Truly, I wasn't sure why I had volunteered Josh. We had no relationship anymore, we don't talk, and Mr. Winters was absolutely correct. Josh would be as useful in the games as a sack of flour. But in order to save Zach… "I volunteer Josh because he has no interest in his family business (true), and doesn't deserve to live his life so dully. (Somewhat true, he does have DeeDee anyways…)"  
Samuel Winters seemed to be weighing his options. I added desperately, "Please Mr. Winters! Don't make me face Zach in this!"  
I put on my distressed face and worked the act for all it was worth. He slackened his shoulders and sighed. "Alright Miss Morgan, Zach will not be in this anymore. We'll have Josh in here before you know it."  
"Thank you, really."  
I looked at Mr. Winters with pure gratefulness and smiled. He smiled in return. "It's not a problem at all Cameron. May the odds ever be in your favor."

I went back to Cato and explained all that happened to him. "Josh? Who's that?"  
I lowered my gaze. "Someone, who doesn't matter to me anymore," I admitted  
Cato smiled. "Good. We don't need any more drama wouldn't you agree?"  
We laughed and continued on our snares until Cato perfected it. "Aha! Leave the food finding to me Cammie!"  
I pouted. "Fine! Leave the I'll-kick-their-asses part to me then deal?"  
He smiled. "As long as you stay safe."  
I blushed a little. "Cato," I murmured. "Why do you care about me so much?"  
Cato's cheeks turned a deep red. "Well…I just, I don't know…I guess I just don't want to see you get hurt. You mean too much to me."  
"You mean that?"  
He smiled softly. "Yes. I do mean that, you are someone very unique and special to me, and I don't want to lose you."  
Cato drew in towards my face, cupping my cheeks with his warm, strong hands and leaned in to kiss me. It was magical. I felt somewhat bad about it, since I sort of had a thing with Zach…but this felt so right. And let's face it. What were the odds of Cato and me even surviving? If anything, I wanted him to stay around longer than I, during our times working with the snares, he told me about his family. His father who had died long ago, his mother who disowned him for not following his line of work, and his 3 younger sisters who adored him. He had those three sisters to care for, and I just had my missing father, my mother who I loved dearly, and Bex, Macey, and Liz. I felt such a deep feeling inside me, warm and bright and happy all at once. We parted and I smiled at him softly. Cato leaned his forehead against mine and stared adoringly into my eyes. Cato leaned in for another kiss, only to be interrupted by a loudspeaker announcement. _**Attention contestants! Please report to the main gathering hall. There has been an exchange of tributes. Everyone please gather here in the main gathering hall immediately. Thank you!**_ I grasped Cato's hand. "Come on! This is about Zach!"  
He nodded sharply and we pelted down the halls until we arrived at the main hall. I could see Zach glaring at Cato's hand joined with mine. I hurriedly dropped his hand and stared at the floor. He was going to kill me. Hahaha, kill me…Unless someone gets to me… first.

_**Hello tributes! As a request by one tribute, her male counterpart will be exchanged with a citizen of her choice. This can only happen once. **_A few people-mostly from islander countries-groaned. _**Will a Miss Cameron Ann Morgan please report to the podium? **_Cato looked at me with encouragement while Zach looked worried. I walked up to the podium, my heart pounding. _**One moment please.**_ The loudspeaker clicked off and a woman dressed in a light grey business skirt with a matching jacket, and wearing the ugliest pale pink shirt I've ever seen-Macey would've died at the sight of it-strode over to me. "Cameron darling, are you absolutely certain you want to exchange your fellow tribute? It's not too late to change your mind."  
I nodded firmly. "I'm positive."  
She sighed and led me up to a room on the stage. "Cameron darling, please go change into the outfit in there and then come back out here."  
She shoved me into the room and shut the door. I flicked on the lights to find a black/red/grey t-shirt and slacks with a little box on the shoulder sleeves that had the letters U.S.A. embroidered onto it. I pulled it on, the soft and airy material smooth against my skin. It was extremely comfortable. A pair of black shoes was also there, and I slipped them on with ease. The woman peeked her head in. "Oh that looks lovely. Can you please do something with your hair though? This is an important tribute exchange, it's going to be televised and you need to be dressed in the attire you'll be wearing in the arena."  
So these are the clothes we are going to be wearing. Not very camouflaged but, at least it was light and airy, and easy to move around in. I combed my hair quickly with my fingers and pulled it into a high ponytail. Simple and effective. Perfect. "I'm ready."  
The woman grinned. "That's much better. Come on Cameron darling, we need to have the world know who you are."  
And I stepped out of the room and into another world.

**How was it? If you liked it, subscribe and review please. I really live off of reviews. Hahaha!  
I'm on a roll! WOOHOO  
Thanks you guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey again you guys!  
I don't own Hunger Games or Gallagher Girls Series!  
And for those of you who wondered, Cato is merely the character name and looks. He is not the same Cato from the HG. Sorry if that was confusing. Clove on the other hand is still mentally disturbed. Enjoy!**

Cammie POV

In my time in the dressing room, the stage had been carpeted in what seemed to be a mish-mash of all country flags sewn together. Zach was standing awkwardly-yes awkwardly!-off to one side and as I rotated my view in the opposite edge, I saw…Josh. It appeared as if Zach hadn't yet realized Josh's arrival, or what I had done. I lowered my gaze away from either of them, and my eyes came to rest on Cato's. He smiled encouragingly at me. Swallowing, I shuffled over towards the woman who had directed me earlier. "Excuse me…?"  
She turned. "Oh! Cameron darling! Impeccable timing! Follow me please!"

She led me up to the podium and motioned for Mr. Winters to join her. She leaned down and clicked on the megaphone once again. **Attention everyone! As stated earlier, tribute #001897612 Cameron Ann Morgan has traded something vital for her in the games Arena to have her tribute partner, #001897613 Zachary Goode revoked from the competition and replaced by someone of her choice. **I peered over at Zach to see his expression go from confusion to one of pure anger. **Will tribute #001897613 Zachary Goode please report to the podium at once! **The entire hall watched Zach silently move down the stairs toward us. He reached the stage, and nonchalantly walked over to the podium, stopping just on my right. "Cammie, you better have a good explanation."  
His voice was a hiss of anger and confusion. I bowed my head. "I'm sorry Zach. You…you wouldn't understand. Cato thought…"  
"Cato?"  
Zach's tone was entirely different now. He seemed to be seething with irritation and anger. "Cato?"  
I shuffled a bit. "Well, not just him. I just wanted to protect you. I know I won't be able to go on living if you died."  
He calmed down a little. "Gallagher girl, you know how I feel about you. How I-"  
I never knew what Zach was going to say. Because right then, Mr. Winters had beckoned Josh up to the podium, and Zach had seen him. Zach had seen Josh as my replacement for him, and I could see his eyes filled with hate, passion, and most of all, hurt. "Zach, I-"  
"Don't Cammie. Please."  
I stepped backwards at his tone. He was definitely angry and irritated. Oh. My. Gosh. Even now, I could see what Zach was thinking. Josh. I had picked my ex-boyfriend over him in the arena. Even if it meant Zach would live and Josh wouldn't, Zach was offended. I couldn't help but to think, boys were_ really_ ridiculous sometimes…

"Cammie!"  
I turned away from Zach to face a terrified looking Josh. "Josh?"  
I pretended to be confused why he was here. It didn't fly. "Cammie! Why did you pick me?"  
I shrugged. Better milk this. "I picked you because I thought you'd be of more use to the Capitol and me in the arena than Zach."  
True. If Zach was there, I'd be paranoid about his safety. Unlike me yes, but it's still something I'd be afraid of. At least with Zach gone, I won't have to worry about anyone else's safety except Cato. Josh bought it. He grinned cheekily. "Thanks Cammie! I won't let you down!"  
I bit my lip. "Same here."  
Lie number 1. Or number 20. When it came to Josh, I felt like it was nothing but lies. _Drowning in lies_…

The woman and Mr. Winters performed the tribute switch and I last caught a glimpse of Zach disappearing into an elevator, staring in my direction desperately. I extended a hand to wave but it was too late, and Zach vanished from the games. Thank god. Josh was walking around the room curiously, prodding walls for trap doors and pulling on loose curtains. He was like a little child. Helpless, weak, and useless. "Cammie."  
I turned with a forced smile, expecting to see Josh but instead I found Cato's warm brown eyes gazing at me worriedly. "Are you alright? With… him gone?"  
I swallowed. "Yes."  
He smiled sadly. "Good. I'll go and introduce myself to Joshie."  
I laughed. "It's Josh!"  
Cato rolled his eyes playfully and sauntered over to Josh. Within minutes they were chattering away like old friends. I only hoped they wouldn't get too friendly. As soon as we arrive in the arena, I planned on ending Josh.

Soon we were back in the training hall. I ushered Josh over to a basic obstacle course hoping he could at least keep up his endurance. Wrong. Oh sure, he could jump through tires and swing across mud pits, but after jogging up a hill, crawling under lasers, jumping over barrels, and climbing over walls, Josh was heaving for air. "Cammie.."  
I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"  
Josh stared incredulously at my nonchalant expression. "Do you do this daily or something? You're like…wonder woman or something…"  
He trailed off after realizing how odd that sounded. I smiled a little, speculating how DeeDee would take seeing Josh die in the arena…being killed by…me… I turned and slammed my face into something surprisingly soft and warm. I looked up. "Cato?"  
He looked at me in concern. "You know Cammie, slamming your head into a wall while training isn't any tactic I know of."  
I pouted. "I'm just struggling with my emotions at the moment, and didn't know where to vent it."  
His gaze hardened. "Are your emotions about Josh?"  
"Yes, but not in the way you think Cato!"  
He merely lifted an eyebrow. "Go on."  
"Well…I feel like even if I wanted Zach out, was it really the best idea to put Josh in. I mean yeah it increases our chances of survival, but he was my first boyfriend. And he has a girlfriend now, and friends who care about him, and I feel like it'll always be my fault he dies."  
Cato sighed. "Cammie, think about it. He's not the only one with a family, with a life. I'm sure that plenty other people here have lovers or families or friends who want them to return, but if they die, its okay. It wasn't _your_ fault. It's the game makers."  
"Game makers?"

I listened as Cato went into details about what he has heard about the game makers. They supposedly created the arena, and all harmful species within it. They were the ones who originally proposed the thought of having a worldwide televised fight to the death. _They would be responsible for any murders and deaths, all acts of the murderers would be in righteous self defense. _I clenched my fists. What gave these people the rights to control the world with these battles? Not anyone sane, that was certain.

Time passed quickly. I became stronger than I believed possible, and quickly mastered how to shoot arrows and spears. Cato had learned to fight with a sword. He was incredibly smooth and agile for his size, and swung with such power…  
Josh learned how to snare animals, and invented a creek net-he calls it this anyways- a little contraption that catches fish that swim in creeks that could be in the arena. He finally gained enough endurance to run at least 3-4 miles before having to stop and rest. Pretty decent I suppose. And he could fight well with a dagger, which was surprising. I certainly hadn't taught him that. We went through our private training shows for the Game makers and I managed to pull out a successful 12, Cato a 9, and Josh a pitiful 6. Clove received a nice score of 8, probably from daggering dummies, and the China twins each received a 12. As I thought, they would be a force to reckon with.

Tonight was the dreaded interview night. Cato-for once-didn't have any info on it, but a girl from South Korea, Ji Yea told us what she overheard from the career she roomed with-that would be North Korea) We were to be given exactly 3 minutes to give the worldwide audience an impression of us, and the following day, we would be sent to the arena. Ji Yea was a pale skinned, 13 year old girl from a greatly undernourished village. She came dressed in rag like clothing most every day. However I found her extremely kind and smart. She could see traps and camouflaged people immediately and I made a quick decision to make her my ally. Ji Yea agreed eagerly, she hated being alone and swore she would attack us. Though she made no promises on Josh, his naivety was extremely irritating to her and told me bluntly that if he kept it up, she'd see to it that he dies. I laughed and told her I'd get Josh to keep it at a down low.

We were all sent to our own personal stylists. This was new for me; I usually would leave my clothes and hair up to Macey, and then go out looking good. However, they made quite the point of scrubbing me down. One person, a man with blue hair and golden clothes placed me in a machine that would-literally!-scrape all the dead skin from my body. Ew! And Ouch! Believe me, it really isn't beauty treatment. After more cleaning and waxing, I was determined clean enough to be passed on to a woman called Faye. Faye was the designer for USA tributes. She walked around me in circles, inspecting various points and muttering to herself. At long last she spoke. "Cameron right?"  
"Cammie." I corrected her.  
She nodded. "Right, right… Cammie do you like dresses?"  
I looked at her curiously. "Not particularly but if you think I should…-"  
"Oh yes indeed a dress is perfect. A nice rosy hue, with a slim fit that accentuates what little curves you have-wow insulting much?-and a flowy, light skirt. Aaand…kitten heels. Grey is perfect."  
I hadn't a clue why she was telling me all this, until I realized she wasn't talking to me. She was speaking into a microphone that was wired to a machine. And the machine spat out a dress that was exactly as she described. The shoes popped out a second later. "Ah, here they are. Cammie put these on please."  
I slipped the dress on and zipped the back up. Wow, this really was comfortable. I'd never felt such smooth fabric in my life. And the shoes…simply magical, just so soft and cushiony. I turned to thank her-my skirt spun out and shimmered slightly-but she was already gone, probably to help dress Josh. I stood around awkwardly until she returned. She finally looked at my face. "Cammie, you look gorgeous. Simply dazzling. So don't worry about looks okay?"  
I blushed softly. "Right."  
She grinned. "Well, now let's get to that hair of yours. So long and dark…"

Faye chattered away excitedly whilst doing some painful twisty things with my hair. About how she would be given a higher post in the Capitol if she performed well with my dressing and hair, about how she had been recruited 3 years ago from New York to prepare for this. She finally leaned back, "Finished! Wow that took a lot longer than I expected it to…"  
I turned to peer into a mirror at myself. Only it wasn't even me, or at least it couldn't be me. The woman staring incredulously back at me through the mirror was slim and refined, with an air of joy and happiness. "Faye…Thank you."  
Faye smiled faintly. "Just doing my job Cammie. Now hurry on to the next room, the interviews will be starting soon."

There is no other room, just a long narrowing hall with an elevator at the end. Uncertainly, I entered it and was lifted up to a room filled with the other tributes. Cato…where was Cato… I spun around the room, raking my eyes over everyone, the China twins, Ji Yea, Josh, and finally, Cato. He saw me as well and bounded over to my side. "Cammie, you look…uh…"  
He trailed off while blushing furiously. I smiled. "You look nice too Cato."  
He really did. His blonde hair was combed back and he wore a reddish brown tux with a red tie dotted with maple leaves. Very Canadian. I looked down at my dress to realize I looked very much American, from the 1800's maybe. Cato extended an arm. "I think we're starting soon Cammie."  
I silently agreed. Everyone seemed to be gradually forming a line by the elevator doors with their fellow tribute. Cato's partner, Clove came up to us. "Cato, Cammie. I think we have to pair up."  
Her words were sharply directed at me. I smiled, taking it all in stride. "Of course. See you later Cato. Clove."  
I turned and walked over to Josh's side nonchalantly. It was time to begin.

When the elevator opens, all of us sit in a big arc around the back of the stage. Josh and I were scheduled to go 50th, for our-wow-50 states. Cato was going 46th, and Ji Yea was 5th. Now to wait. I peer over to the audience that is yet to arrive. An elevated seating unit has been set up for special guests, but all the stylists were to sit in the front row. Television crews claimed the remaining balconies, while the game makers-yes them!- were seated in the orchestra pit below us, watching all our interviews on a screen. Every citizen of the world would be watching us tonight, watching our slip ups or our brilliance. Pressure much?

Shana Solace, the woman who was to host the interviews for the evening lightly steps onstage and does a little twirl. Her simple white dress spins out, revealing the many diamonds laced up her legs and arms. Her platinum blonde hair bounces in its simplistic ponytail, and her ice blue eyes shimmered with excitement. She takes a seat on a high raised white stool and waves to the now arriving audience. Shana cracks a few jokes to warm up the audience but then gets down to business. The female tribute from Russia, wearing a slate miniskirt, studs, and a loosely fitting blouse, steps up to the center of the stage for her interview. She clearly was posed as the rocker chic but with a sophisticated edge to it. She rolled her eyes at most every question and winked at the audience while making fun of Shana when she didn't notice. I couldn't help but to smile a little, she was pretty funny. But as soon as her 3 minutes were up, she returned to her seat, groaning about how annoying that was and cussing Shana out. Woah there, not the nice, funny girl that appeared on stage a moment ago now. Looks were deceiving, and as a spy-in-training, I scolded myself for not seeing through her act sooner.

I sit, legs crossed, and watch the tributes go up. The China twins, Ji Yea-she did alright, posed as a weak, helpless, defenseless girl wearing rags again-tribute 34, 37, 43, Cato and Clove-Cato did a spectacular job, the audience fell in love with him- and soon enough, it was my turn. "So Cammie, the Capitol must be quite the change from America. What's impressed you the most since your arrival?"  
I answered smoothly. "Well, I definitely love the Capitol, it's very welcoming, but I am certain the most impressive was the training equipment. I've never seen so many swords and vaults and buffers in my life!"  
Lie number one. I dispised the Capitol for all that they did or do. And I've seen plenty more equipment than this before. The sisters of Gillian must be laughing at my response right now. I smiled softly, imagining the scene in my mind. Shane giggles, "Oh, I know what you mean. Everything in the capitol is simply gorgeous. Now Cammie, what do you think of that gorgeous costume your stylist made for you? Faye is quite the fashion genius these days."  
She pointed at Faye, who looked nervous, and the audience applauded with approval. Faye waved good-naturedly at me and mouthed out 'Don't worry, you're doing great.' Shana continued. "What about that private training score missy? A 12 out of 13. Almost perfect. The only other people with a 12 are the two tributes from China, Yang Shei and Yang Fui."  
I shrugged, sighing in-well practiced-defeat. "I wouldn't know, I just impressed them somehow. I'm not really supposed to talk about it though right?"  
Shana pouted. "Yeah you're right, I was hoping you'd forget and say something about it though…"  
The audience cheered at Shana, trying to cheer her up. She gave a faint smile and winked at me. "Alright, we'll get off that horse. But what's this secret relationship you've got going with the Canadian Tribute Cato? We all know how you had Zach taken out and replaced with Josh, but how did you and Cato happen?"  
I blushed for real. "Uh, I, well you see…"  
Crap. I was stammering in shock, why I couldn't just say something. Shana looked at me knowingly. She took over for me. "Ah, young love…rather unfortunate you'll be fighting each other to the death though…"  
The audience gave shrieks of horror and sighed in agreement about my misfortune. I winced. She was right. How would I carry on if Cato died? What if we were the last two, I wouldn't be able to fight him, let alone kill him. Shana smirked. "How about I change up the rules her a little. She waved her arm at the guy in the back and within moments, Cato was onstage next to me. I glanced at him to see him blushing furiously. Shana smiled. "Now Cato, do you also have feelings for Cammie?"  
I held my breath, fearing the answer. If it was a yes, would I be happy? If it was a no, it would be easier to kill him later, or see him die, but I would probably die on the inside as well. The entire audience seemed to be still and quiet, waiting for his answer. Cato swallowed before spitting out, "Well, does this prove anything?"  
Before anyone knew what was going on, his lips were planted against mine and he was kissing me passionately. I felt my entire face heat up and my bodies filled with sudden happiness. I kissed him back, until we ran out of air and broke apart. The audience was roaring with approval and Shana looked slightly taken aback, she hadn't seen this coming at all. "Young love, I hope all goes well for you two in the arena tomorrow."  
With that she waved us back to our seats and the interviews continued. But it was obvious we had been the hit, the major event in the interviews.

Later after all the interviews had been completed, we were told to return to our beds and sleep, dress in our tribute arena attire, report to the training hall at 7am, and be prepared for the arena. It was our last night in the Capitol, and possibly the last night for many of the tributes. I went to Cato's room after everyone dispersed. He opened the door and led me into his room for the night. He knew I wouldn't want to spend my last possible night alone. I slipped under the covers, Cato by my side, and drifted off to sleep.

The following morning, fully dressed, I stood in the training hall in a group with Cato, Ji Yea, and Josh. Ji Yea whispered to me, "Any last minute recruits?"  
I glanced around to see a 17 year old boy walking over to us. He introduced himself as Ryou Tanakiza, the Japanese male tribute. "I know, you haven't any reason to trust me but may I please be in your alliance? My tribute partner, Riran Kawakami, joined up with those China twins and a Russian girl. I'm alone now, and I can't fight all that well."  
I glanced at Cato. He shrugged. Ji Yea flicked her hair back before responding. "Fine, just don't get in the way Ryou."  
Ryou's eyes sparkled in joy and relief. "Thank you so much. I won't let you down, and I'll rig traps to kill other tributes."  
Cato and I stared at him at that comment. Ji Yea sneered at him-which was unlike her-. "What was your training score Ryou?"  
He shivered. "12…"

We gaped. That was higher than Cato, which meant this guy must have some decent skills at whatever it is he does. I leaned against a wall in thought. Five of us, all trained in different ways with extraordinary skills, against the world. Cato leaned in to me and kissed me softly. "For luck."  
He smiled. I smile back at him. "Let's win this thing."

Soon after, we were sent into a large hovercraft to go to the arena. Josh looked at me with a strange expression on his face. It looked…guilty somehow. I narrowed my eyes. I'd have a talk with Josh later, when I would be with the others. He kept glancing at Clove, who was sitting with her eyes closed and muttering about sharp knives. I shivered. She was a strange one alright. Time went by and soon enough, we arrived at the destination. The windows were tinted and even if they weren't, it wouldn't have mattered. We were led out to an underground warehouse, with a huge circle of elevators. I was led to an elevator-it was clear and shaped like a tube- and told to stand in it until an alarm sounded when it would rise up into the arena. In the tube next to mine, I could see Cato's reassuring brown eyes gazing at me warmly. Next to him, Ji Yea grinned at me, finally dressed in proper clothing. Ryou was on my opposite side, wringing his hands out and waving at us. We were as ready as we'd ever be for the games to start. I looked around for Josh, only to see him talking to Clove through the glass. I knew it. He betrayed us, but I suppose he was right to. I had taken him away from everyone he cared about, and planned on killing him anyways. Clove must have overheard our plans and told Josh. I wondered how long they'd been in an alliance. I felt betrayed and worried. Clove would know of our beginning plans now because of Josh. "Cato!"  
I screamed through the glass. He looked terrified at me. Ji Yea and Ryou looked as well. "He betrayed us, Josh betrayed us. We need to change the plan!"  
They all looked appalled. Before we could step out, the warning bell sounded and our elevators began their ascent. When we surfaced the ground I looked around. A plain grassy meadow lined with flowers lay around us, with a great, golden horn in the center. Weapons, tools, and food lay strewn about the meadow, and surrounding the meadow was trees and hills. One quarter looked tremendously humid, another frigid and cold. The other quarters looked peaceful and unchanging. I looked over at the others, feeling their gaze on mine. "To the horn!" Cato commanded.  
Ji Yea nodded. "Back to back formation you guys."  
Ryou smirked. "Let's kick some tribute ass."  
I pulled a tight smile. "Josh is mine. He _will_ pay for what he has done."  
Ji Yea smiled faintly at me. "Be careful Cammie."  
I silently promised, and nodded at her.

The seconds counted down. 60,59,58,57…Cato bit his lip. 44,43,42,41…Ryou started humming some Japanese song to ease the tension. I don't blame him. 32,31,30,29,28…I found myself thinking about my sisters and of Zach. Thank god he isn't here. 15,14,13,12,11…Ji Yea let out a held in sigh. 5,4,3,2,1…

**Sorry for the cliffy. I just want to start the Games in a new chapter. I know, I skipped the chariots and the private training, I just wanted to get to the games. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.** **R&R please!~  
(:**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm BAAAACK :D  
On with the story~  
(if u wanna know why I was gone for so long, read my profile)**

The gong sounded and everything became a blur. I glanced around wildly, watching as the tributes with such little training and hope were easily knocked out of the competition. I saw the blurred form of Ryou diving towards something shiny. "Cammie!"

I whipped around, eyes lit with fear. I'm a spy! I can do this! But…but…my head began to pound and the colors began to swirl. This was something I had never been trained for…I was so confused… I felt a warm grip of someone's hand under my waist and I could faintly see Cato holding me over his shoulder and Ji Yea and Ryou sweeping around him to be clear of any intruders. "Cato, is Cameron alright? We need to clear out!"

I could just hear Ji Yea's voice before completely blacking out.

I awoke to see the bright light of the moon washing over the grassy alcove where I lay, Cato sitting attentively by my side. His eyes held relief when I stirred and sat up. "I…what…Cato what happened?"

He cringed. "You, ah, panicked I think. Got overwhelmed by all those deaths."

I felt the bile rise in my throat. All that blood and bodies came washing back over me in a wave. "Cato…"

He waved me off. "No…Don't worry about it Cam. I'm always here for you."

I heard someone huff in annoyance, and turned to see Ji Yeah tending to the injured Ryou. My eyes widened. "Ryou…! What happened?!"

He narrowed his eyes at mine in distrust. "What happened? Are you really…?"

Ryou scoffed before closing his eyes to Ji Yea's soothing lullaby. "You're panic caused my injury Cameron."

_Flashback: Ryou's POV_

_The gong sounded and resonated throughout the field. From all angles, teens began top flood into the area, heading towards the center where all the goods lay unguarded. Or so they had all believed. The two Chinese girls popped out from behind the horn with surprising speed and agility and began to quickly annihilate all the weaker tributes. I narrowed my eyes in disgust. Under a stone, I saw a small, gleaming hilt and without any second thoughts, dove forward and pulled it free. To my utter delight, it was a samurai type sword, the exact type that I had been trained to use all my life. 'Thanks gamemaker-san'_

_I crouched behind a boulder as I saw the Russian girl sprinting towards Cameron and Cato with a dagger in her palm. Thinking they had it handled, I turned to move away to another target until I heard Ji Yea calling out Cameron's name desperately. Spinning, thoughts reeling, I spun and darted forward preparing the lethal blow at the Russian who was headed at the currently unprotected Cameron. Swiftly, I slashed downwards and the cannon boomed at yet another tribute death. This time caused by myself. And then I howled in pain as someone's blade sliced at me, only narrowly missing my internals. "Damn you!" _

_I turned in anger to see Clove grinning at me maliciously. She winked. "Moving a little too slow aren't you Ryou?"_

_I parried her next attack and then managed to slice her shoulder. Clove glared angrily. "Watch yourself samurai-guy!"_

_I smirked. "Is samurai guy really the best you could do? Be a little more…hmm what's the word..?"_

_I rolled out of the way of yet another slash initiated by Clove. "Oh right! Original!"_

_Clove snickered. "It's good that you're having a bit of fun in the arena…before you die anyways….such a shame."_

_I rolled my eyes. "Are you really one to be talking?"_

_She winced dramatically. "Right, right. I supposed you do have a point there, Mr. Blade."_

_I laughed as I dodged another blow. "Someone's low on ideas."_

_Clove smiled slightly. "Says you. Why're we even talking about such things so lightly? I should end this now, before you get to attached to something you'll never have!"_

_She lunged quickly, aiming directly at my heart. However I looked up to see a random black -haired tribute in front of me, taking my would-be death sentence. Eyes widened I gasped. "Riran!"_

_Riran smiled sadly at me before sinking to the grass below. I leaned down and grasped her shoulders. "Riran! Why!?"_

_She brushed a stray hair off my face before whispering, "I could never let my younger brother die…Daijobu…"_

_I felt tears flowing out of my eyes as I watched my sister-whom I had believed to have abandoned me-die in my arms. "Onee-chan…"_

_Clove looked on with a glint of apology in her dark eyes. She blinked. An within that instant, it was gone. "Ryou…"_

_I looked up in anger. "You killed my only family!"_

_Clove put on her trademark smirk and wiped her dagger on her sleeve. "What did you expect? Its survival of the fittest here Ryou. Get over the loss and move on."_

_She smiled, a little sadly, and unsheathed her dagger again. "I'll help you."  
And with that, I watched as her blade drove itself into my chest._

_Flashback over:_

"I only narrowly avoided death. She missed my heart by a millimeter."

Ryou sighed again. Then he looked up into Cameron's eyes with seriousness.

"Cameron. I can't be your ally unless you can pull yourself together. Are you ready?"

Cammie inhaled deeply before nodding. "You can count on me."

Ryou extended a hand and Cammie-rather shakily-shook his. Ji Yea made a victory sign and did a cute little spin. "Yeah! We'll survive till the end!"

Cato looked sad. "But at the end…only one can win.."

Ryou and I looked down again, hands dropping to our sides. Ji Yea on the otherhand simply forced us all into a group hug. She clambered ontop of a rock and smiled cheekily. "Let's not worry about that just yet. How about we just focus on making It through alive first?"

I smiled. "Agreed."

Ryou flipped his hair. "I guess that's the good way to go."

Cato smiled as well and slipped his hand into mine. "Whatever I can do to keep you alive Cammie, I'll do it."

I blushed profusely again and Ji Yea laughed a bit as Ryou only sighed and looked up at the moon.

"Oh Riran…I'll win this…for you."

**I know it's not that long but it's fairly cute anyways, I'll be doing some character back stories and such before the plot gets going. This was just the intro of Ryou and how he feels about it all. And I hope you all got the slight connection that Clove felt towards Ryou. **** Yes I am going to use that in the plotline. You're welcome :D  
R&R 3**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm alive! OMG I was so so busy, and I'm soooo sorry I didn't update! Really! ):**

**Here ya go~ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games or Gallagher Girls. I only own this fanfic. YAY!**

All was dark. Only the moon shone above us in the night sky, or was it even nightfall…The day had passed all too quickly, and the cannon boomed far too many times to remember. After Ryou had felt strong enough to move, we got moving rather quickly and efficiently further into the woods. Cato had held my hand tightly, guiding me though the woodland with ease, and murmuring softly to me all the while. I felt a pang of regret now, realizing that my plan to bring Josh here as an ally-even if I had planned on ending him here anyways-would all be in vain, now that he had chosen to take sides with Clove. What on earth could have propelled him into making that decision…I'll never know.

Ryou was far too weak at this point. I understood his pain at Riran's death, the wound in his chest seemed to get worse and worse. He didn't have much time left. None of us did. Ji Yea seemed fearful of even the shadows around us, she kept slashing at the trees with her dagger and jumping back in fear at every crunch we made while walking. Where were we walking? Cato thought it would be best to put as much distance between us and the other players, we had to keep away from the danger. Not far off, I could see the spray of a waterfall. We had run into "Spring," the part of the arena that seemed the most wooded and thick, alive with life and running water. Unfortunately, that also held the danger of bees and such, but a bee sting is nothing. All you really had to do was pull out the stinger.

In the distance I could hear yelling. We all paused and shimmied up the nearest tree. Ryou was covered in sweat and panting heavily, blood continuing to trickle from his chest. Ji Yea held him against the trunk and helped Cato into the cover of leaves. I quickly slid in between two large branches and stood still. Two figures came sprinting into the clearing.

"Shit! Run faster you useless lump of fat!" A feminine voice was barking fearfully at another who was lumbering along just behind her, and stumbled onto the grass. "Marianna I can't! You know how I am when I'm hungry…."

Marianna slapped him across the face. "You can't worry about food right now idiot! Do you wanna live or not?!"

"How am I supposed to live if I don't eat…" The boy muttered in irritation. Marianna sank against our tree in exhaustion. "This seems safe enough. Just shut up and wait for Anna to get here. She said she was coming just behind us."

Marianna proceeded to dig for roots, eating little green shoots that were growing here and there and ignoring the boy's gripes.

I pondered in thought. These two seemed fairly harmless, but I knew just as easily how deceiving appearances could be. As far as I could tell, they had nothing on them. I almost felt sorry for the girl, who couldn't be much older than 14. I ducked out from my branch, ignoring Cato's warning tap. "Hey!"

Marianna-much like I had predicted-jumped backwards and toppled onto her back. "W-Who's there?!"

I smiled and gently clambered down the tree. "No worries, I promise I won't hurt you."

"She might promise it, but I sure as hell won't." Ji Yea scoffed from above. Cato lightly punched her shoulder. "Ji Yea, I'm sure she's harmless." Ji Yea raised a brow. "You just hit me." Cato laughed. Ji Yea proceeded to kick him off the tree branch. "Ow…"

Marianna giggled at the sight of a rumpled looking Cato lying on the grass, and Ji Yea looking triumphantly from above, still holding Ryou against the trunk. She smiled. "I guess you won't will you? I know I won't."

I smiled at her and took in her long dark brown hair, red-brown eyes, and tanned skin. Marianna grinned. "I'm from Mexico. My mom worked for the government there, as a hacker, but I guess that wouldn't help me too much. He," she paused, pointing at the heavy set boy, "is Anton. He's from Sweden, but I guess was a bit of a glutton before coming here. Failed almost every test in athletic ability but I just keep an eye on him since his older sister is out getting supplies from other people here in the arena. She's really something. Looks nothing like Anton though, he's all fat and dark haired, but Anna is almost like a supermodel. Wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, perfect-like really pretty-porcelain skin like a doll, and really tall. She's not all looks though, she got the 5th highest score back in the training center. She dotes on her brother though. I think she told me her plan was to keep him alive and eventually kill herself so he wins. Although if you ask me, he won't last another few hours. She'd do better to kill him now rather than worry about him."

I frowned. "Where do you fit into this picture then?"

She smiled sadly. "I told Anna I'd keep him alive if she kept me alive. But she said if he died under my watch, she'd kill me first. It's a scary existence but well worth it if I can keep him alive."

Blinking, I turned away. She was such a fool. If she kept Anna's brother alive till there was only herself, Anna, and Anton, anyone could see that Anna would kill her first. It was like raising a pig for slaughter…

At this point, I had a feeling I'd have to end her and Anton quickly to avoid facing them later on with any sort of attachment. Ji Yeah looked at me knowingly and Cato looked away. I knew he'd feel terrible about this, since he was anti-murder, but we would have no choice. I wouldn't want to deal with Marianna and Anton later on. I bit my lip and motioned for Ji Yea to toss me a dagger. Marianna was still oblivious to my intentions, and was trying to pull Anton to his feet. No…I couldn't do this…they had done nothing wrong! But if I let them live…I could see myself feeling sorry for Marianna eventually. It wasn't good to become emotionally attatched to anyone. Not even…I looked up at Cato. No. I had to stay strong. Cato and I would survive. Ji Yea too. I know we can. We'll deal with the ending issues when they came, but…Ryou was already close to death. He wouldn't last much longer. And neither would my personal feelings. It was survival of the fittest now. I had to do this. I-

There was a crunching of leaves nearing me. Instinctively, I swung around and slashed towards my attacker. There was a cry of pain as a blonde haired girl flew to the ground. Marianna gasped. "Anna!"

So this was Anna. Anna stood up, leaning against a tree to support herself as blood gushed from her chest. She smirked. "Nice one. Now, why haven't we met before?"

I smirked back. "Guess there wasn't much time for introductions."

"No," She breathed, "I guess not."

Marianna screamed and I spun around to see her pinned against a tree by Ji Yea. "I got this! You deal with her." Ji Yea smiled sadly before breaking Marianna's neck. A cannon boomed in the distance. I felt sick to my stomach. Anna laughed maliciously. "What? Haven't figured it out yet? It's obvious now, only one can live. I had no intention," she paused and threw a dagger at Anton's throat, instantly killing him, "to let her or my brother live. I let them run away, with all my worries and regrets, so I could only hope someone else would take Anton out for me. But life doesn't work so perfectly as we imagine it to be. While I was out, I heard other speak of a Cameron Morgan-you I presume-who was a spy in training, and most definitely my top competitor. I knew you had heart too, so it was at that point when I realized you might run into my brother and be…conflicted. Which you were."

I narrowed my eyes at her, also realizing the truth of her words. "He had done nothing to deserve any of this. And he's your brother!"

Anna laughed. "Only my step-brother. I could care less. He was only ever just another mouth to feed, and my family is far too poor to deal with him. I'm doing them all a favor!"

"You're crazy!" I yelled in shock.

"Crazy? Well, that's nothing new. I prefer…deadly."

She lunged at me knocking me to the ground, and jams her fist into my windpipe, effectively cutting off my air supply. I gasped and choked, wriggling around vainly in any attempt to get her off me. "Now…" She smirked. "How shall I end this? Should I end it quickly? Or…should I just let you suffer?"

Anna wrenched my head back and raised her dagger high. "Goodbye Cameron. It was much too short of a time to meet you."

I shut my eyes, realizing how very screwed I was. Goodbye Zach, goodbye Cato, goodbye mom, I love you all…

A gut-wrenching scream pierced through the air and suddenly I could feel a gust of air running back through my throat. I opened my eyes to see Anna pinned against a tree by Ryou and with a single slice with his sword, Anna's head rolled cleanly to the ground, setting off yet another cannon. Ryou smiled at me triumphantly before collapsing to the ground. "Ryou!"

I leapt to my feet, and ran to Ryou's side. I rolled him over and his face was contorted in pain. "Cammie…"

I shushed him and looked at his chest. Alongside his other already fatal wound, there was a new dagger jammed into his chest, most likely hitting his internals. He would only have seconds left…

"Ryou…I'm so sorry! It's all my fault, both times and-!"

He shushed me. "No…I did only what was needed to be done. It is an honor to die in battle…but you must promise me Cammie…you must win."

Tears were flowing from my eyes, and wouldn't cease. "I-I promise you I w-will Ryou! I promise…"

He smiled gently and reached up to wipe a tear from my cheek. "You…will…win…I know it…"

With those words, his eyes closed and his chest stopped. His hand thudded to the ground beside him and I let out a cry of pain. "Ryou…."

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. Cato looked at me with sorrow. Even Ji Yea, who had always been rather blunt and uncaring had tears slipping from her lashes, and crouched beside Ryou. "사랑해요…"

We all set a hand gently on Ryou's palm, and sat in silence. After the darkness of night truly began to set in, we all stepped back. The Capitol would retrieve a body after it had fallen, so we wouldn't have to bury him. But Ji Yea returned with a bouquet of wildflowers, and nestled it into his hands. She sighed sadly. "We can only do so little for him. This is what we can do, even if…" She broke into tears again and leaned into my shoulder.

We stepped back into the shadow of the trees and watched as a strange vehicle came from above and snatched up Ryou's lifeless body. Until it left did we resume our trek towards to sounds of rushing water. We may have lost a friend, but it gave me newfound determination. I would win. I would win no matter what. But not just myself. Cato and Ji Yea too. There was something terribly wrong with these games, and I was going to find out what. And, you know, put a halt to it. If I could disappear into the arena, Ji Yea and Cato beside me, we could find out what was really going on here. Because I doubt it really is just "entertainment." There had to be some connection to why Macey's father was there at the Capitol…If only I could get in contact with Zach. Not that he'd really want to talk to me…but I could try…I had to end this all.

As we jogged into the trees once more, there was a loud boom and suddenly some very out of place music began playing. _**"Attention Tributes! In only the first day and night of the games, we have lost a total of 20 people. 20 deaths today, how many die tomorrow…? Stay tuned…"**_

**Eh. I didn't like this one a whole lot. My writing block is still there but I needed to update SOMETHING. Sorry guys XD**

**~langleaf**


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